(Article published in the book of All India Association of Catholic Schools in their 44th National AINACS Convention on 22nd Oct. 2011).
1. Mentoring: A Means of Self Discovery.
“If you touch me soft and gentle, if you look at me and smile at me, if
you listen to me before you talk, I will grow, really grow”, said Bradley. Mentoring is a collaborative, mutually beneficial
partnership between a Mentor (who
possesses greater skills,
knowledge and experience) and a Protégé (who is looking to increase his
or her skills, knowledge and experience). Mentoring is a means of developing
and fine tuning human resources. It is about
guiding others in their personal quest for growth through learning; a
stimulating journey of self-discovery and development which provides
opportunities for personal fulfillment and achievement; a method for
encouraging human growth through the partnership between two people built upon
trust. It is a process in which the
mentor offers ongoing support and development opportunities to the mentee. Addressing issues and blockages identified by
the mentee, the mentor offers guidance, counseling and support in the form of
pragmatic and objective assistance. An
organization can use the art of mentoring as a tool to help bring out the best
in its younger employees, teachers and students. The mentor helps the mentees understand and
recognize the long-term plans the school/organisation has for them, and helps
them make the most of the learning experiences inherent in their current jobs.
A mentoring relationship also motivates the teachers / employees / managers
involved and can be a valuable means of delaying ‘plateauing'.
“The best mentors are the people in your life
who push you just a little bit outside your comfort zone” -Leigh Curl. Interestingly, the concept of mentoring stems
from Greek mythology. Mentor was Odysseus's friend and teacher to his son
Telemachus. In Homer's Odyssey, Athena, the goddess, assumed the form of Mentor
to proffer advice to Odysseus and Telemachus. Since then the word “Mentor” has
become synonymous with someone who is a wise advisor. The nomenclature epitomises a person who guides another towards
the path of education, growth, maturity, development, progress and prosperity.
An organization can use the art of mentoring as a tool to help bring out the
best in its younger employees, leveraging the synergy for individual and
organizational growth and success. By this process we support and encourage people to manage
their own learning in order that they may optimise their potential, develop
their skills, improve their performances and groom into the person they want to
be. Thus, as said by
John C. Crosby, “Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen,
and a push in the right direction.”
2. Coaching Vs Mentoring: Given the
frequent confusion between these two terms, it is worth drawing out the
differences more finely. Although coaching and mentoring share some tools and
approaches, coaching is primarily focused on performance within the current job
and emphasizes the development of skills. Mentoring is primarily focused on
longer-term goals and on developing capabilities.
Coaching
|
Mentoring
|
Concerned with
task
|
Concerned with
implications beyond the task
|
Focuses on
skills and performances
|
Focuses on
capability and potential
|
Primarily a
line manager role
|
Works best
off-line
|
Agenda set by
or with the coach
|
Agenda set by
the learner
|
Emphasizes
feedback to the learner
|
Emphasizes
feedback and reflection by the learner
|
Typically
addresses a short-term need
|
Typically a
longer-term relationship, often ‘for life'
|
Feedback and
discussion primarily explicit
|
Feedback and
discussion primarily about implicit, intuitive issues and behaviours
|
3. Jesus: A mentor par
excellence.
Jesus worked only three years. He walked with His followers; taught them;
corrected their attitudes; he provided leadership through his own example; He
empowered them; He transformed them; made fishers of men; among the leaders he chose
after long prayers, one denied him
thrice and another betrayed him. Finally,
he was crucified and it was presumed that Jesus and his movement would end with
it. But they lived and died for him;
what a great mentor he was! He continues
to teach and guide, empower and transform all those who follow him even today.
4. The ten Fundamental Competencies Needed For
Effective Mentoring
4.1
Self-awareness (understanding self): Mentors need high
self-awareness in order to recognize and manage their own behaviour within the
helping relationship and to empathise sufficiently. The activist,
task-focused manager often has relatively little insight into these areas -
indeed, he or she may actively avoid reflection on such issues, depicting them
as ‘soft' and of low priority. Such conditioned attitudes and learned behaviour
may be difficult to break. Providing managers with psychometric tests and other
forms of insight-developing questionnaire can be useful if they are open to
insights in those areas. However, it is easy to dismiss such feedback, even
when it also comes from external sources, such as working colleagues. SWOT
analysis would be an effective means to self understanding. If nothing else,
the model helps open up some of the hidden boxes in the Johari window! An
important debate here is whether low self-awareness is the result of low
motivation to explore the inner self (disinterest), or high motivation to avoid
such exploration, or is it simply an inability to make complex emotional and
rational connections (in which case there may be physiological aspects to consider
as well). The approach to helping someone develop self-awareness will be
different in each case and one needs to adopt a flexible mentee- centered approach to be effective enough.
4.2 Behavioral awareness (understanding others): Like self-awareness, understanding
how others behave and why they do so is a classic component of emotional
intelligence. To help others manage their relationships, the mentor must have a
reasonably good insight into patterns of behaviour between individuals and
groups of people. Predicting the consequences of specific behaviours or courses
of action, is one of the many practical applications of this insight.
Developing clearer insight into the behaviours of others comes from frequent
observation and reflection. Supervision groups can help the mentor recognize
common patterns of behavior by creating opportunities for rigorous analysis.
4.3 Business or professional savvy: There is not a great deal to be done
here in the short term - there are very few shortcuts to experience and judgment.
However, the facilitator can help the potential mentor understand the need for developing
judgment and plan to acquire relevant experience. Again, the art of purposeful
reflection is a valuable support in building this competence. By reviewing the
learning from a variety of experiences, the manager widens his or her range of
templates and develops a sense of patterns in events. The more frequently he or
she is able to combine stretching experience with focused reflection - either
internally or in a dialogue with others - the more substantial and rapid is the
acquisition of judgment. A useful method of helping people develop business
acumen is to create learning sets, where a skilled facilitator encourages
people to share their experiences and look for patterns that lead to
improvement.
4.4 Sense of proportion/good humor: Is good humor a
competence? I would argue strongly that it is. Laughter, used appropriately, is
invaluable in developing rapport, in helping people see matters from a different perspective, in
releasing emotional tension. It is also important that mentor and mentee should
enjoy the sessions they have together. Enthusiasm is far more closely
associated with learning than boredom is! In practice, good humor is a vehicle
for achieving a sense of proportion - a broader perspective that places the
organization’s goals and culture in the wider social and business context.
People acquire this kind of perspective by ensuring that they balance their
day-to-day involvement with work tasks against a portfolio of other interests.
Some of these may be related to work - for example, developing a broader
strategic understanding of how the business sector is evolving. Others are
unrelated to work and may encompass science, philosophy or any other
intellectually stimulating endeavor. In general, the broader the scope of
knowledge and experience the mentor can apply, the better sense of proportion
he or she can bring.
4.5 Communication competence: Communication
is not a single skill: it is a combination of a number of skills. Those most
important for the mentor include:
·
Listening
- opening the mind to what the other person is saying, demonstrating
interest/attention, encouraging him or her to speak, holding back on filling
the silences.
·
Observing
as receiver - being open to the visual and other non-verbal signals,
recognizing what is not said.
·
Parallel
processing - analyzing what the other person is saying, reflecting on
it, preparing responses; effective communicators do all of these in parallel,
slowing down the dialogue as needed to ensure that they do not overemphasize
preparing responses at the expense of analysis and reflection; equally, they
avoid becoming so mired in their internal thoughts that they respond
inadequately or too slowly.
·
Projecting
- crafting words and their emotional ‘wrapping' in a manner appropriate for the
situation and the recipient(s).
·
observing as projector - being open to the
visual and other non-verbal signals, as clues to what the recipient is
hearing/understanding; adapting tone, volume, pace, intonation and language
appropriately.
·
Exiting
- concluding a dialogue or segment of dialogue with clarity and alignment of
understanding (ensuring that the message has been received in both directions).
4.6
Conceptual modeling: Effective mentors have a portfolio of
models they can draw upon to help mentees understand the issues they face.
These models can be self-generated (e.g. the result of personal experience),
drawn from elsewhere (e.g. models of company structure, interpersonal
behaviours, strategic planning, career planning) or - at the highest level of
competence - generated on the spot as an immediate response.
According to the
situation and the learning styles of the mentee, it may be appropriate to
present these models in verbal or visual form. Alternatively, the mentor may
not present them at all - simply use them as the framework for asking
penetrating questions. Developing the skills of conceptual modeling takes time,
once again. It requires a lot of reading, often beyond the normal range of
materials that cross the individual's desk. Training in presentation skills and
how to design simple diagrams can also help. But the most effective way can be
for the mentor to seize every opportunity to explain complex ideas in a variety
of ways, experimenting to see what works with different audiences. Eventually,
there develops an intuitive, instinctive understanding of how best to put
across a new idea.
4.7
Commitment to one's own continued learning: Effective mentors
become role models for self-managed learning. They seize opportunities to
experiment and take part in new experiences. They read widely and are
reasonably efficient at setting and following personal development plans. They
actively seek and use behavioral feedback from others. These skills can be
developed with practice. Again, having a role model to follow for themselves is
a good starting-point.
4.8 Strong interest in developing others: Effective
mentors have an innate interest in achieving through others and in helping
others recognize and achieve their potential. This instinctive response is
important in establishing and maintaining rapport and enthusiasm in the mentee, building confidence
in what he or she could become. While it is possible to ‘switch on' someone to
the self-advantage of helping others, it is probably not feasible to stimulate
an altruistic response.
4.9 Building and maintaining rapport/relationship
management: The skills of
rapport-building are difficult to define. When asked to describe rapport in
their experience, managers' observations can be distilled into five
characteristics:
· Trust
- Will they do what they say? Will they keep confidences?
· Focus
- Are they concentrating on me? Are they listening without judging?
· Empathy
- Do they have goodwill towards me? Do they try to understand my feelings,
and viewpoints?
· Congruence
- Do they acknowledge and accept my goals?
· Empowerment -
Is their help aimed at helping me stand on my own feet?
· To a
considerable extent, the skills of building and maintaining rapport are
contained in the other competencies already described. However, additional help
in developing rapport- building skills may be provided through situational
analysis - creating opportunities for the individual to explore with other
people how and why he or she feels comfortable and uncomfortable with them in
various circumstances. This kind of self-knowledge can be invaluable in
developing more sensitive responses to other people's needs and emotions. The
mentor can also be encouraged to think about the contextual factors in creating
rapport. Avoiding meeting on the mentor's home ground (eg. in his or her
office) may be an obvious matter, but where would the mentee feel most
comfortable? Sensitivity to how the meeting environment affects the mentoring
dialogue can be developed simply by talking the issues through, both in formal
or informal training and with the mentee.
4.10 Goal clarity: The mentor must be able to help
the mentee sort out what he or she wants to achieve and why. This is quite
difficult if one does not have the
skills to set and pursue clear goals of ones own. Goal clarity appears to stem
out of an amalgamtion of skills including systematic analysis and decisiveness.
Like so many of the other mentoring competencies, it may best be developed
through opportunities to reflect and to practice.
5. St. Aloysius College/St. Aloysius Institute
of Technology: Mentoring - A Case Study
In both the institutions taken for this case study, classes are divided
into mentoring groups of 8 to 10 students who are closely mentored by one or
two teachers. Among each students’ group there is a nominated mentor leader(according
to academic merit) and an assistant mentor leader who monitor
daily roles and responsibilities, mentoring class activities and the
mentoring group wise class assembly.
Every Saturday one period is allotted to mentoring activities during
which the class sits according to mentoring groups. In these weekly classes, pre
designed topics are discussed and participatory activities are conducted to ensure the active
interest and involvement of every
student. Every Friday during the break
time, the class teacher meets the mentoring teachers to discuss issues
pertaining to mentoring so that the
actual mentoring classes on Saturday would be practically rewarding to every
mentee. Students are required toremain in their respective mentoring groups on Friday and
Saturday during the break time so that they can have sufficient time to bond each other, understand individual perceptions
and connect on issues of mutual interest in an informal ambience.
6. Conclusion: Mentoring is
an essential skill to enhance capabilities.
There is a story
of a ship builder, Marcus who was given a rough stone by his friend, Barnabas.
Marcus examined the odd-looking red stone in his hand. “It’s a red-looking
rock, Master.” Marcus placed the stone on the bench between them.Barnabas then
took out a cut and polished ruby. He held it up to the light and let the sun
sparkle through it, showing off the stone’s beauty. “This is one of the most
magnificent stones in Athens.” He tossed it to Marcus who almost dropped the
stone as it bounced off his hand and into his lap. Barnabas laughed and asked
Marcus to explain both stones again- “What is the difference between the two
stones, Marcus?”
“Well, one seems
to be a red rock and the other an exceptional gem. One is available, the other
is not, I guess.” Barnabas replied, “on
the contrary, son, the rough stone you so casually placed on the bench is soon
to become the most valuable ruby in all Greece. It is ruby of the finest quality.
All it lacks is the finishing strokes
from the hands of a master jeweler. Once he smoothens the rough edges and applies
a dab of polish, the world will see how beautiful the stone can truly be. Friends, people are very much the same as this rough stone. Put in
the hands of a master, they too can become more than the eye can at first glance perceive. It takes the vision
and the skill of a master leader to bring them to their full potential. Look at the men on your crew. With your
guiding hand, they can each become much more than the eye sees. It will take
your hand to guide them and clip away the rough edges. Always see them as they
will become, not as they are.
Focusing on what one could become,
is mentoring.
Mentors are visionary leaders, the builders of a new dawn, working
with imagination, insight, and a purpose. They present a challenge that calls
forth the best in people and brings them together around a shared inward-
onward journey of evolution. They work with the power of commitment to a cause
and alignment with a higher purpose. Their eyes are on the horizon, not just on
the close at hand. They are social innovators and change agents, seeing the
larger picture and thinking strategically. There is a profound
interconnectedness between the leader and the whole; true visionary leaders
serve the good of the whole. They recognize that there is some truth on both
sides of most polarized issues in our society today. They search for solutions
that transcend the usual adversarial approaches and address the causal level of
problems. They find a higher synthesis of the best of both sides of an issue
and address the systemic root causes of problems to create conspicuous
breakthroughs. To mentor is to reach out and touch the hands, the hearts
and the minds of tomorrow. A teacher can
tell you what she expects of you. A mentor
though awakens your own expectations and draws home the truth behind Khalil
Gibran’s oft quoted words, “No man can reveal to you aught but what which
already lies half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge”.
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